Saints set date for return home

DETROIT — The New Orleans Saints, driven from their home by Hurricane Katrina last August, will return to the Superdome on Sept. 24 to play the Atlanta Falcons.

A mural with the news was completed on the outside of the Superdome just before the start of Sunday's Super Bowl in Detroit between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. The building, which served as a shelter immediately after the storm, was severely damaged by the hurricane.

The mural contains the date of the game, helmet logos of both teams and a "Go Saints" slogan.

The game will be the third of the season for the Saints, who played their "home" opener last season at the home of their opponent, the New York Giants. The rest of the team's home schedule was played in San Antonio and Baton Rouge, La.

The team plans to play two of its four exhibition games next season in the Gulf Coast area. The sites have not been determined yet.

The Falcons-Saints game will be the first sporting event of any kind at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina.